Diagon Alley
by Lkay09
Summary: Every year before school starts, Rose and Scorpius run into each other somewhere in Diagon Alley, and they end up kind of maybe sort of being a little bit like friends...or sort of kind of like maybe a little more.
1. Chapter 1

**This little plot bunny popped into my head at about nine o'clock and then it wouldn't go away till I wrote the whole thing. It's now 3am and I have to be at work in 8 hours. That's gonna suck because it's Texas Tax Free Weekend and I work in an outlet mall. Totally worth it though.  
****Anyways, I hope you enjoy this little ScoRose ficlet thingamajig because I enjoyed writing it!**

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_Ollivander's – Year One_

"We'll find one for you, don't worry." Mr Ollivander gave her a kind smile, which didn't make Rose feel any better. She had been in Ollivander's for thirty minutes now and had waved what felt like every wand in the place and yet…nothing.

Her father thought it was hilarious, of course. Apparently the same thing had happened to Uncle Harry when he first came to Ollivander's. Rose didn't find it particularly funny. What if she never found a wand?

The bell above the door chimed, and Rose peeked over her shoulder.

Her father was glaring at a tall, blonde-haired man who was glaring right back. The man's nearly-identical blonde son was standing uncomfortably between the two.

"Ms Weasley, why don't you take a break while I tend to Mr Malfoy and his son?" Mr Ollivander gestured kindly to the spindly old chair by the window and Rose stepped aside, her face flushing.

Her father and the other man were shouting at each other by now, and Rose watched amusedly as the boy scooted away from his father, while neither Rose's mum nor the boy's attempted to settle their husbands down.

The boy saw her watching and made his way towards her, his cheeks pink.

"Embarrassing, aren't they?" He muttered to her, gesturing towards the increasingly heated argument between their fathers.

Rose nodded in agreement. "It is. Getting your wand too?"

The boy nodded. "You?"

"Trying to," Rose scoffed. "Apparently I'm impossible to find one for. Waved what feels like half the wands in the place and nothing. I'm Rose Weasley, by the way." She stuck out her hand.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," the boy replied, shaking her hand. Rose bit her lip and tried not to smile, but she didn't disguise it well enough.

"What?" Scorpius asked, his tone somewhat irritated. "I think it's already obvious our fathers don't get on, so I'm guessing yours has said something about mine?"

Rose nodded, a small giggle escaping her lips. "Sorry. It's just that apparently in their fourth year a professor turned your father into a ferret. My father thinks about it when he needs something to cheer him up, and I've heard a lot about 'Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret' growing up." When Scorpius just scowled, she shook her head. "I won't laugh about it anymore."

Scorpius shook his head. "It's not that. It's just my father never told me that story and it is pretty funny." He cracked a smile, and Rose did too.

"Well," she said practically, "it's not something a father tells his son when he's hoping his son will look up to him."

Scorpius thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fair point."

"Mr Malfoy," Mr Ollivander approached them, having given up on taming the argument between their parents. "Let's get you a wand, shall we?"

"Good luck," Rose called to him as he followed the old wizard off.

Naturally, within a matter of minutes Scorpius was returning to her, his new wand held proudly in his hand.

"See, it's not that hard!"

"Shut up, ferret spawn." Rose growled. Rather than look affronted, Scorpius just grinned.

"You'll get one, little Weaslette. I believe in you."

Rose rolled her eyes and gestured towards his. "What's yours?"

"Eleven inches, holly and dragon heartstring. Good for Transfiguration and Defense, apparently."

"Very nice." Rose's tone was flat.

"Scorpius! We're leaving!" Mr Malfoy shouted from the front door, where he and Ron stood fuming.

"Yeah, run away little ferret," Ron snarled.

Scorpius sighed, a long-suffering sound of embarrassment. "I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts, Weaslette."

Rose gave him a half-hearted smile as she stood and prepared to wave more wands. "See you there, Ferret, Jr."

As Scorpius made his way back to their parents, Rose caught her mum's eye. Hermione smiled a little, and winked at her. Rose smiled back, rolling her eyes good-naturedly at her father as he continued to rant about the now-absent Malfoys.

"Shall we try again, Ms Weasley?" Mr Ollivander asked from behind her. Resigned to another thirty minutes of pointless searching, Rose turned around and nodded, following him back towards the aisles.

Five minutes later, Rose was the contented owner of a ten inch oak and dragon heartstring wand, excellent for Charmwork. She dragged her parents out of the shop, hoping that some Quidditch shopping would shut her father up about the Malfoys. He didn't seem to have noticed that the entire time he had been arguing with Draco, Rose had been making friends with his son.

_Eeyelop's Owl Emporium – Year Two_

Rose inspected a large package of owl treats, trying to remember if it was the mouse-flavored ones that Henry abhorred so much. Just as she decided to risk it, another hand swooped in front of her and snatched the last bag.

"Hey!" She cried indignantly, spinning around to face the thief. "Oh. It's you."

"You could sound more excited, Rose," Scorpius Malfoy replied dryly.

"Oh, sorry." She jumped up and down, clapping her hands together and squealing in an overdramatic way. "Scorpius! Sweet Merlin I'm so excited to see you, I have missed your ferrety face so much this summer!"

He snorted, tossing the owl treats back at her and narrowly missing smacking her in the face with them. "Very nice. I feel appreciated now."

"Good, then I can stop acting like a brainless idiot." Rose rolled her eyes, carting her packet of treats up to the line at the registers. Scorpius followed along behind her, pausing to look at some new cages.

They weren't friends, exactly, Rose mused, biting back a smile at the thought of her father knowing they were acquainted and on _friendly_ speaking terms at all. But they said hello to each other in the halls, and since Ravenclaws and Slytherins had Potions together last term, they had been partners more often than not. The rest of her family tended to avoid Scorpius, and her closest cousins (primarily Al and Roxie) looked at her like she was insane when she sent him a wave across the Great Hall at mealtimes.

"Three Sickles," the witch said in a bored tone when Rose placed her owl treats on the counter. Before she could dig the money out of her purse, a hand slapped three Sickles down on the counter and picked up her treats.

"Let's go, Weaslette." Scorpius grabbed her wrist and was dragging her to the front of the shop before she could even comprehend him paying for her treats.

"Thanks," she mumbled, following him through the horde of students and out onto the street.

"No problem." He turned to look at her and smiled. "Couldn't have you holding up the entire line. Don't you know to have your money ready before getting to the counter?" Scorpius shook his head as if he was disappointed in her. "Nobody taught you manners, Rosie."

She rolled her eyes in response, although she couldn't help but smile. "At least I thanked you. And I told you not to call me Rosie! Only a few people are allowed, and you – " she poked him in the chest " – are not one of them, Scorpie."

He winced. "And speaking of one of the people who _is_ allowed, he seems to be heading this way. That would be my cue to leave. See you at school, Rosie!" Scorpius darted off into the crowd before Rose could respond.

"Were you talking to the Malfoy boy?" came her father's irritated growl from behind her. Sighing, Rose turned around to face him and her mum.

"Only for a second, Daddy. We _do_ go to the same school, same year and all, you know." Rose gave her dad a bored look. Hermione smiled at her daughter over Ron's shoulder. Rose smiled back before reaching between them and taking one of their hands each.

"Now, let's go get me the rest of my things!"

_Quality Quidditch Supplies – Year Three_

"Oi! Malfoy!"

Rose couldn't help but giggle at the irritated glance he shot her. Heaven forbid she interrupt his perusal of the latest broomstick, the Firebolt 92X or something. Boys and their toys, she couldn't help but think to herself.

"What are you doing in here, Weaslette?" Scorpius asked, not turning to look at her again. "I thought you hated everything to do with Quidditch."

"Well, I do," Rose conceded, "but I need to find a present for Al, and he's nutters about the Cannons like my dad, so I thought I could find him something here." Scorpius turned to face her, his eyebrow raised. "And…I saw you come in here." She admitted.

With a triumphant smirk, he turned back to admiring the broom in front of him. "Knew it. Just can't resist me, can you Rosie?"

"The only thing I'm resisting at the moment is the temptation to smack you upside the back of your head for continuing to call me Rosie."

It was Scorpius's turn to roll his eyes for once, giving up on the ability to focus on the broomstick with Rose Weasley nearby. "So why did you decide to come pester me today?"

Rose shrugged. "Nothing else to do. I have pretty much everything I need for the year, but it's Hugo's first so my parents are having to take him around everywhere to get his things. They'll be here eventually I'm sure, because my father loves the fact that Hugo plays Quidditch. Especially since I don't." Lazily, she drew a finger over the finely polished handle. She may dislike Quidditch and have no aptitude for it whatsoever, but she could appreciate a good broomstick when she saw one. "So I slipped off."

"Well, if your father is going to be here soon then I probably should leave." Scorpius cast a last, longing look at the broomstick before tugging Rose's wrist so that she would follow him out the door. "Anywhere else we should go to avoid your family?"

Rose shook her head. "The chances of running into them are kind of massive, considering my family is, well…kind of massive."

"You don't say," Scorpius snorted. "I'm losing count of the lot of you." His hand was still holding loosely to Rose's wrist as they made their way through the crowds, but he made no move to let go.

"What about your parents?" Rose asked, slipping behind him for a moment to let people pass. "Will we run into them? And if we do, will they throw the same massive fit that my father would?"

Scorpius kept an eye out for redheads or Harry Potter as he answered, "No and no. My parents trust me to do my school shopping alone by now, and he told me after that first encounter at Ollivander's that he didn't care if I made friends with any of you as long as I kept my grades up and didn't get into _too_ much trouble."

The foot traffic was thinning, and Scorpius tugged her into a small alley where there was less worry of being trampled.

"So, Hogsmeade this year?" He said, changing the subject. He watched her watch the people passing in front of them.

"I can't wait!" Rose shot him a smile before returning to her people-watching. "I haven't been to the Hogsmeade location of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and I'm dying to go to the Shrieking Shack. Apparently Teddy's dad spent a lot of time there when he was in school and you can still see all the evidence of it."

"Lupin's dad was a werewolf, right?"

"Yeah." Rose leaned her head against the wall, still staring at the passersby. "I wish I could have met him, my parents and Uncle Harry talk about him all the time. Him, and Sirius Black, who was Uncle Harry's godfather."

"He's a relative of mine," Scorpius said thoughtfully, "in some way or another. Cousin, I think. So is Teddy Lupin."

"Teddy's like a big brother to me and Hugo. And James, Al, and Lily," Rose added with a laugh. "He's spent nearly as much time at our houses as he did at his Nana Andromeda's."

"So, about Hogsmeade –" Scorpius began, but was interrupted by Rose swearing. He watched as she pulled a glowing coin from her pocket and examined it.

"Time for me to go," she said reluctantly. "Mum's wondering where I am, and I'm to meet them at Ollivander's in about two minutes. See you at school, Ferret Jr."

With a wave, she was gone, leaving Scorpius scowling.

"Would you like to go with me sometime, as a date?" He muttered the end of his question, watching her red hair recede through the crowd. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

_Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions –Year Four_

"Can't believe I need new robes."

Scorpius grinned at the familiar muttering in the back of the store.

"What's the matter, Weaslette, indulged a bit too much over the summer hols?" He stepped around the rack of robes and leaned against the wall, surveying Rose as she was measured by Madam Malkin.

"Piss off, ferret spawn," she grumbled, but couldn't help but smile. "What are you doing here? Need new robes too?"

Scorpius examined the rack closest to him. "Just some spares for Quidditch is all. Why are you getting measured for an entirely new set?"

Madam Malkin stepped away and began rifling through a nearby selection. "Several reasons," Rose said as she stepped off the small pedestal. "First, Fred and Roxie thought it would be funny to put my robes on some of the dummies they were testing pranks and Wheezes products on. Second, I apparently have inherited my father's height and it is catching up to me. And third," she turned slowly around to face him and his eyes drew down to her chest of their own accord. She made a frustrated noise when she noticed his lack of attention to her face.

"Didn't realize you were a girl, Rosie," Scorpius said with a small laugh, forcing his gaze back to hers. "Bout time, I guess."

She stepped forward and swatted at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Stop being weird, Malfoy."

"I'm a male, Rosie," he admonished her. "You can't blame me for looking when you aim those at me."

Rose rolled her eyes at him, watching Madam Malkin make her way back towards them with robes in her hands.

"These should work just fine for you, dearie." She passed Rose the robes and observed as she tried on a pair. She nodded her approval. "I'll take these up to the counter for you."

Rose shot Scorpius a look. "Don't even think about paying for these for me."

Scorpius held his hands up in surrender. "Wasn't going to," he lied.

"So where to now?" He asked as she lifted the bags and made her way out of the store.

"Unfortunately, I have to meet my parents for lunch and then we're heading back home." Rose smiled apologetically. "Sorry I can't hang out with you today."

"No problem." Scorpius scuffed the toe of his shoe on the ground and put his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you at school?"

"Sure," she replied brightly. "We have a few of the same classes this year, right? Want to study together?"

Scorpius nodded, feeling his mood lift a bit. "Sounds good. See you then."

Rose waved at him. "Bye, Ferret Jr."

He watched her walk towards the ice cream shop.

"Bye, Rose."

_Flourish and Blotts – Year Five_

"I'm starting to think you're stalking me, ferret spawn." Rose placed her book back on the shelf and scanned the row above it for anything eye-catching. She'd heard Scorpius approach and stand silently behind her for a minute.

She shot a smile over her shoulder at him before turning her attention back to the books. They were friends now, she thought to herself, running a finger along the spines of a few books. They had studied together for the entire year, and had walked to classes together more often than not. Her cousins had even stopped staring at them like they were a freakshow, but word had yet to make it back her father and for that she was grateful.

"Looking for books to read for fun?" Scorpius inquired. Rose nodded and kept perusing and Scorpius chuckled. "Nerd."

She turned around to face him and crossed her arms. "You should know by now that I don't find that an insult, Scorpsie."

His eyes narrowed and he took a few steps towards her. "And you _definitely_ know by now that I hate any kind of abbreviation of my name."

She was pressed against the bookshelf, with one of his hands on either side of her head. She swallowed nervously, staring at him. "How about just Scorp?"

Scorpius tilted his head thoughtfully, staring absentmindedly at her lips. "I can live with Scorp. It doesn't sound like something my great aunt would call me while pinching my cheeks."

Rose's hands found their way up to his hips, resting there lightly. "Scorp it is then. Ferret spawn."

He chuckled and leaned a little closer to her. "I can live with ferret spawn too, _Rosie_."

Rose tilted her head slightly, chewing her lower lip. "You have my permission to call me Rosie whenever you want, you know."

Scorpius jerked back an inch. "What?"

"Well," she ducked her head, not quite wanting to meet his gaze, "you're my best friend. That gives you the right to use the nickname."

His brow furrowed. "I thought Al was your best friend."

She chanced a glance at him and saw his confusion. "Well, he is." Rose clarified. "But you're my non-cousin best friend."

Scorpius leaned back in. "Alright then…Rosie."

"Scorp."

She could feel her heart speeding up in her chest as his face moved marginally closer to hers.

"Uncle Ron is heading this way, Rosie," Al called, walking past their shelf. "You might want to postpone _this _or move it elsewhere." He made an encompassing gesture with his hand in their direction.

Reluctantly, Scorpius pulled away, giving her one last look before heading the opposite direction from Albus.

Rose chewed her bottom lip again, wondering exactly _what_ would have happened if Al hadn't interrupted them.

_Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour – Year Six_

"What the bloody hell is this?"

Rose nearly choked on her ice cream at the sound of the voice and looked up to meet the furious gaze of Scorpius Malfoy. He was staring at Tony Goldstein like he wanted nothing more than to rip his arms off and beat him with them.

Tony, not always quick on the uptake, answered. "It's a date, Malfoy, what does it look like?"

Rose closed her eyes for a moment before meeting Scorpius's eyes again. If anything, he looked even angrier. Before she could grab his wrist, he had stormed out the front door.

She cursed under her breath, shot a dirty look at Goldstein and tossed a Galleon on the table before following Scorpius.

Fortunately, everyone doing their back-to-school shopping at the same time made the crowds so thick that he hadn't gotten far.

"Scorpius," she called, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist. "Stop walking."

"Go back to your date, Weasley." He kept marching determinedly forward.

Rose was so shocked at his using her actual last name that she almost released him. Instead, she shoved her way forward and planted herself in front of him.

"What is your problem?" She demanded.

He had the nerve to look incredulous. "_My_ problem, Weasley? My problem is the fact that you're sitting back there slurping on ice cream with that bloody tosser!"

"Why does that matter?" She challenged, praying with everything she had in her that he would give her a straight answer. Ever since the…whatever it was at Flourish and Blotts last summer, things had been off between them. They studied less together and Rose was certain she had seen Scorpius outright avoiding her at times. She had wanted to bring up the almost-kiss – that had to have been what it was, right? – and had wanted to discuss with him the possibility of _them_ but every time she had ventured near the topic he had changed it.

"What do you mean, why does it matter?" He sputtered. "Of course it matters!"

Rose fisted her hands on her hips, perfectly aware of the attention they were garnering. "I know it matters, but I want to know why!"

Scorpius shot her a look. "You know why, Rose."

She wanted to scream, or yank her hair out, or both. "No, Scorpius, I _don't_! I've tried so many times this last year to know _why_ but you would never let me! Why wouldn't you talk to me about it, or about anything?"

Scorpius's face softened. "Because we both know that I'm not good enough for you. And that your father would never approve."

"_That's_ what has been holding you back?" Rose asked incredulously, taking a few steps towards him. "_That's_ why you won't let me talk about the thing that happened last summer?"

Scorpius rubbed his forehead tiredly. "And because I didn't want to ruin a perfectly good friendship by having to see your face when I tell you I've been in love with you since second year."

Rose heard, as if from a long distance, the gasp of the crowd around them. She felt her jaw drop. She could see Scorpius's face, but she felt as if she was floating out of her body and seeing everything from above.

"Rosie, what are you doing with the Malfoy boy?" Her father's suspicious voice echoed behind her. She turned to face him and saw him shooting death glares at Scorpius.

"Don't worry," Scorpius said, holding up his hands and backing away. "I'm leaving, Mr Weasley."

"Yeah, you better leave my daughter alone," Ron muttered, still glaring at him.

Something in Rose snapped, and she found herself whirling around to face her father.

"Scorpius is my best friend," she announced to him, pleased when she saw his jaw drop. Over his shoulder she could see her mum smiling. "He's been my best friend since fourth year but we've been hanging out since before we ever started school. And I know you hate his father, but you're going to have to get over it, because Scorpius is a really important part of my life." She turned back to face Scorpius and hoped that he would understand the meaning of her next words. "He means a lot to me and he's going to be in my life for the foreseeable future."

Scorpius smiled at her sadly for a moment. "Actually, Mr Weasley, you won't have to worry about me being around Rose. We aren't friends anymore. I don't know that we ever were." Without another word he turned around, shoving his way through the people gathered around them.

"Scorpius," she whispered. He didn't turn around, or even look back.

Pain seared through her chest and she fought back the urge to burst into tears as she watched his retreating back until it was gone. Aware of everyone watching her, she shoved past her father and gathered family members and ran until she was through the Leaky Cauldron and back in Muggle London.

_Diagon Alley – Year Seven_

She hadn't spoken to him in an entire year. He sat with his back facing her at mealtimes, he moved tables when he saw her coming in the library, and he would rather take the long way to class than to risk running into her in the hallway.

Rose spent most of her time studying in her room, many of her notes blotted out by tears.

So this was heartbreak, she mused, wandering through Diagon Alley. It was a very real pain that followed her wherever she went and frequently stole her sleep and her appetite. Albus and Roxie were worried about her, she knew, and so was her mum. Her father hadn't mentioned Scorpius to her again after that day, but she assumed he knew the whole story, since her mum knew it.

"Rose," Ron nudged her, breaking her out of her trance and pointing up ahead.

Scorpius. She would recognize him anywhere.

"You know, Rosie, my only concern with him was that he would be like his father," Ron admitted. "But from all accounts he's very smart and relatively nice, even if he is a Slytherin. And Al wouldn't shut up about how miserable last year was with you, especially when you had been so happy with Scorpius shortly beforehand." Rose looked up at her father, her brow furrowed. He sighed. "What I'm saying, Rosie Posie, is that if you want to be with him, if he makes you happy…then you have my blessing. So go get him."

Rose stared at her father in shock for only a moment before he practically shoved her down the cobbled street towards him.

Heart soaring, Rose took off running until she had caught up to him.

"Scorpius," she said breathlessly, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around to face her. He stared at her, shocked.

"None of it matters," she said, her hand slipping from his shoulder to his wrist before she laced her fingers between his own. "My dad said we have his blessing, and you already ruined our friendship, and I think if we're honest here we both know I'm the one that's not good enough for you." He was still staring at her blankly, and she felt her heart sinking but she took a deep breath and continued on, heedless of the people watching or the girl that had stopped next to them. "None of it matters because I'm in love with you too, Scorp. Not as long as second year, but probably at least by fourth. So that's what's important, not any of those other things." She stopped talking and waited for him to say something.

Scorpius stared at her for a moment before turning to the girl next to him. "Rose, this is my girlfriend Jamie. Jamie, Rose Weasley."

Rose felt a slow flush creep its way up her neck to the tips of her ears as she stared at the tall brunette next to Scorpius.

She was such an idiot.

She turned and took off running blindly, ignoring Scorpius's voice behind her and her father's concerned gaze as she darted past him.

Rose ducked into an alley and let her knees give out beneath her, pressing her back against the wall and burying her face in her hands.

That was easily the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to her, and there was no way she would be able to face Scorpius or anyone at the school next year. Tears burned the back of her eyelids and began coursing down her cheeks. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, trying to muffle the sounds of her sobs.

He had a _girlfriend_. Of course he did, he was _Scorpius Malfoy_, attractive and smart and wonderful. Of course he had moved on. He wasn't in love with her anymore – why would he be?

A pair of feet stopped in front of her.

"Rose."

Her face still flushed and her eyes red from crying, she lifted her face to meet his gaze.

"Oh, Rosie." He reached for her.

Hastily, she made her way to her feet. "I'm fine, Scorpius, don't worry about it. We'll just pretend it never happened."

Scorpius caught her wrist to keep her from leaving. "I can't do that Rosie."

She hiccupped, and tried not to let any more tears slip down her face. "Please, Scorpius, I'd rather not ever think about this ever again." She turned to leave the alley but he tugged on her hand to keep her in place.

"Well that could be a problem, you know," he said slowly, stepping towards her, "considering it's probably going to be all I think about for the rest of my life." Rose opened her mouth to interject but Scorpius shook his head. "It's not every day that the girl of your dreams tells you she loves you too, you know."

Rose's jaw snapped shut and her eyes widened. Scorpius slid his hand down her wrist to interlock their fingers and tug her closer to him. "I wish you'd said all that last year," he continued absentmindedly, watching his thumb trace circles on the back of her hand, "when we were in the middle of the street and your dad showed up. You called me your best friend and I thought that was your way of saying it wasn't ever going to happen. I was really upset and confused because I _knew_ that you had wanted to kiss me at Flourish and Blotts just as much as I had wanted to kiss you. But if you'd said those things then sixth year wouldn't have been so awful."

"It was pretty awful for me too," Rose hiccupped, "and I wanted to say all those things last year, I just…you caught me really off guard and then my dad showed up and I didn't want to send him into a panic. And you have no _idea_ how badly I wanted to kiss you at Flourish and Blotts." His entire face brightened and her heart fluttered.

"Really?"

Rose let out a watery chuckle. "Yes really. Do you think I would have let you get that close if –"

Scorpius took a step forward and cut her off, pressing his lips to hers.

_This_, Rose thought hazily, was what was meant to happen in the bookstore summer before last. _This_ was the best feeling in the world. Her heart was pumping so fast she thought she might pass out. One of Scorpius's hands had tangled its way into her hair, and the other was still holding tightly to her own.

"Alright," a voice interrupted them. "I can handle the two of you 'being in love' or whatever." Ron made air quotes around the words. "But I absolutely do not need to see you snogging my daughter's face off, Malfoy."

"Yes, sir," Scorpius murmured, his forehead pressed against Rose's. There was no way for either of them to contain the giant smiles on their faces.

Ron grumbled something else and wandered off to find his wife, shaking his head.

"Something tells me," Rose said softly, "that seventh year is going to be the best year ever."

"Well yeah," Scorpius replied, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, "you get to snog the Head Boy whenever you want. You'll never get in trouble for being out past curfew."

Rose grinned. "Of course I wouldn't. Nobody is going to give the Head Girl detention for being out late, _especially_ if she's with the Head Boy."

Scorpius could have jumped for joy at that point, silly as it may have seemed.

"You're right," he agreed, "seventh year will be the best ever."

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**The end! What did you think? Let me know in a review! Much love :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**So when I posted the first part of this story, surprisingly a lot of people said "Oh, what happened to Jamie?!" "How did he leave things with Jamie?!" And then the other day I was re-reading the story, the reviews, and the messages, and this snippet just popped in my head. It's not really about what happens to Jamie, but it does show Scorpius's POV for the last section of _Diagon Alley_; that is, the one that takes place before seventh year. And it does answer how things with Jamie were handled. It was fun to write!**

**Also, while I did copy/paste some segments of the _DA_, I also edited them a bit to put in more of Scorpius's voice, so if you skim them then you will miss that!**

**Enjoy!**

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This last year had been miserable, Scorpius thought morosely, walking into the Leaky Cauldron. Having to avoid Rose at every opportunity had been painful, to say the least, not to mention the difficulty of avoiding all of her relatives, many of them angry. Albus Potter and Hugo Weasley had been the worst, frequently stopping him in the halls to yell at him about mistreating their precious Rosie.

"Scorpius!"

For a brief moment, his heart soared, thinking it was Rose's voice. Then reality intruded, and he realized that he and Rose weren't speaking, so it couldn't possibly be her. His heart sank back to the region near his stomach where it had been residing frequently.

"Scorpius!" It was Jamie, the girl he had started dating shortly before school had ended. He had hoped that dating someone else would move along his process of getting over Rose…but no.

He pasted on a smile and headed towards the table she was waving at him from. "Hi Jamie." He bent down to give her a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. "Ready to go shop?"

She smiled at him brightly, standing up and slinging a purse over her shoulder. "Of course! Where should we go first?" She laced her fingers through his and it took everything in Scorpius not to wrench his hand away. Three months dating her, and he still hated doing anything relationship-y with her. It wasn't her fault, he reminded himself as she led him behind the Leaky Cauldron and tapped on the bricks to open the archway. It was his fault, his unwillingness to let go of Rose Weasley, and it wasn't fair to her to have to deal with it.

He really needed to end things with her. He never should have started them up.

"How about Flourish and Blotts?" Jamie asked cheerfully, and Scorpius felt a sting in his chest.

_She was pressed against the bookshelf, with one of his hands on either side of her. She swallowed nervously, staring at him. She was easily the most beautiful person he had ever seen. "How about just Scorp?"_

_Scorpius tilted his head thoughtfully, staring absentmindedly at her lips. They looked so soft and tempting, and he felt himself move forward a fraction of an inch. "I can live with Scorp. It doesn't sound like something my great aunt would call me while pinching my cheeks."_

_Rose's hands found their way up to his hips, resting there lightly. He could feel the points of contact tingling. "Scorp it is then. Ferret spawn."_

_He chuckled and leaned a little closer to her. "I can live with ferret spawn too, Rosie."_

_Rose tilted her head slightly, chewing her lower lip but not moving away. "You have my permission to call me Rosie whenever you want, you know."_

_Scorpius jerked back an inch, his heart pounding. "What?"_

"_Well," she ducked her head, not quite meeting his gaze, "you're my best friend. That gives you the right to use the nickname."_

_His brow furrowed, and his heart slowed considerably. She couldn't be saying what he thought she was saying, right? There was no way she saw him only as her best friend and not something more, not with how close they were standing together. "I thought Al was your best friend."_

"_Well, he is." Rose clarified. "But you're my non-cousin best friend." That didn't make him feel any better, but he couldn't chicken out now. Not when he was so close to having what he had wanted for years._

_Scorpius leaned back in. "Alright then…Rosie."_

"_Scorp."_

"Scorpius? Scorpius?"

He snapped himself out of his daydream, meeting Jamie's concerned gaze. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, sorry," Scorpius smiled half-heartedly down at her, "just lost in my thoughts. How about we leave Flourish and Blotts until later?"

"Alright," Jamie agreed, but the concern didn't leave her eyes. "Actually I need to go to Gringotts before going anywhere else."

Scorpius gestured with his free hand. "Then to Gringotts. Lead the way."

They were halfway down the street when a hand landed on his shoulder and whirled him around. He found himself face-to-face with Rose Weasley for the first time in over a year. His heart skipped a beat before pounding double time in his chest.

"Scorpius," she said. She was out of breath, her face flushed and her hair a mess, but he still thought she was completely gorgeous. He could see Jamie staring at them out of the corner of his eyes, her brow furrowed.

"None of it matters," Rose said, sliding her hand from his shoulder to lace her fingers with his, much like Jamie had done earlier. Only this time his palm tingled and he had to fight the urge to tighten his grip, to make sure she couldn't get away. "My dad said we have his blessing, and you already ruined our friendship, and I think if we're honest here we both know I'm the one that's not good enough for you. None of it matters because I'm in love with you too, Scorp. Not as long as second year, but probably at least by fourth. So that's what's important, not any of those other things."

His heart was going to rip right out of his chest. Rose Weasley, his former best friend and the girl he'd had a massive thing for for about five years now, was standing in front of him telling him that she was in love with him.

A noise came from his left, from the person still holding his _other_ hand, and Scorpius remembered Jamie with a jolt. He turned to face her, still feeling dazed.

"Rose, this is my girlfriend Jamie. Jamie, Rose Weasley."

Rose's face turned red instantaneously, and before he could say anything, she had wrenched her hand from his and taken off running down the street with what looked like tears in her eyes.

Scorpius watched her leave, shellshocked.

"What the hell was all that?" Jamie practically shrieked next to him, and he jumped. For the second time in less than two minutes, he had completely forgotten about his girlfriend. Gritting his teeth, he turned to face her again.

"I realize this makes me this biggest arse on the face of the planet," he began rapidly, "but I've been in love with Rose since I was twelve and she just told me she loves me too after this huge misunderstanding and I…" Scorpius watched Jamie bite her lip, her eyes watering slightly. "I'm so sorry, Jamie. But it's always been Rose for me and I know it wasn't fair or right of me to date you when I wasn't over her. So I'm really sorry, and if you want to hex me or hit me the next time you see me, I will stand there with my hands behind my back and let you do it. But," he gestured down the street where Rose had run, "I have to go after her now."

To his surprise, Jamie gave him a half-hearted smile, despite the fact that a few tears had made their way down her cheeks. "It's okay, Scorpius. I always knew…everyone always knew how you felt about her. No, it wasn't fair of you to date me when you loved her, but it wasn't smart of me to get involved with you when I knew you felt that way. I just kept hoping you would move on, but I should have seen that wasn't going to happen." Gently, she removed her hand from his and used it to motion in the same direction he had. "Go get her." She smiled at him again, biting her lip. "It's okay. Although I might take you up on the hexing and hitting offer later."

Scorpius smiled back and hugged her impulsively, grateful beyond words that she had been so understanding about the whole thing.

Turning, he walked quickly down the street, glancing inside each store for a glimpse of red hair. In the few minutes it had taken him to end things with Jamie, Rose could have gotten anywhere. She was seventeen now, she could have Apparated somewhere. It didn't matter, he told himself determinedly, he would keep looking until he found her. And even if he couldn't, school began in less than a week and she would never be able to avoid him there.

"Malfoy," a deep voice sounded from behind him as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. Turning, Scorpius found himself meeting the rather irritated gaze of Ron Weasley. He swallowed nervously.

"Mr Weasley." He hoped his voice sounded calm.

"Looking for Rosie?" Ron asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He inclined his head towards an alley to Scorpius's left. "She's in there, hiding out. Don't know that I should let you see her."

Scorpius gritted his teeth and made himself stand a little taller. "I'm going to see her whether you want me to or not," he replied boldly, hoping Mr Weasley couldn't tell that his hands were shaking. "Sir," he added.

It looked to Scorpius like Mr Weasley was trying very hard to fight back a smile. "As much as it would entertain me to see you try to get past me to my daughter, I think I'll let you pass without harm. Just know," he added as Scorpius made to step eagerly past him, "that if you hurt her again, there will not be a place in the world for you to hide from me. Rosie is my little girl, no matter how old she gets, and there is nothing I will not do – nobody I will not hurt – for her." With that, he stepped aside.

Those words echoed in Scorpius's mind as he stepped gingerly towards the alley where Rose was. As he got closer he could hear muffled sobs, and knowing that it was his fault, that he was the reason she was crying, made his chest ache.

Rose was crouched on the ground, her back pressed against the wall and her head ducked into her hands.

"Rose."

The look on her face as she shifted her gaze upwards to his was enough to break his heart. Because of him, she was sitting in an alley, her face red and blotchy, crying her heart out. It made him wonder for the first time how many other times she had shed tears over him during the last year, and his heart ached a little more.

"Oh, Rosie." Scorpius reached for her but she pulled back, standing up and shaking her head.

"I'm fine, Scorpius, don't worry about it. We'll just pretend it never happened." She turned away from him, like she was going to leave, and he caught her wrist. No way was he going to ever let her walk away from him like this again.

"I can't do that Rosie."

Rose looked at him, her eyes pleading. "Please, Scorpius, I'd rather not ever think about this ever again." She made to leave again but he held fast to her wrist.

"Well that could be a problem, you know," he said slowly, stepping towards her, "considering it's probably going to be all I think about for the rest of my life." Rose opened her mouth to interject but Scorpius shook his head. "It's not every day that the girl of your dreams tells you she loves you too, you know."

He could see the shock on her face, and he continued on, tracing circles on the back of her hand. "I wish you'd said all that last year when we were in the middle of the street and your dad showed up. You called me your best friend and I thought that was your way of saying it wasn't ever going to happen. I was really upset and confused because I _knew_ that you had wanted to kiss me at Flourish and Blotts just as much as I had wanted to kiss you. But if you'd said those things then sixth year wouldn't have been so awful."

"It was pretty awful for me too," Rose hiccupped, "and I wanted to say all those things last year, I just…you caught me really off guard and then my dad showed up and I didn't want to send him into a panic. And you have no _idea_ how badly I wanted to kiss you at Flourish and Blotts." His entire face brightened and her heart fluttered.

"Really?"

Rose let out a watery chuckle. "Yes really. Do you think I would have let you get that close if –"

Scorpius took a step forward and cut her off, pressing his lips to hers.

_This_ was absolute heaven, he thought hazily. He could easily kiss her for the rest of his life and never want to stop, never get tired of it. Now that he knew what this was like, he was never going to let her go again, was never going to kiss anyone else again, and was definitely _never_ going to let her kiss anyone else ever again.

"Alright," a voice interrupted them. "I can handle the two of you 'being in love' or whatever." Ron made air quotes around the words. "But I absolutely do not need to see you snogging my daughter's face off, Malfoy."

"Yes, sir," Scorpius murmured, his forehead pressed against Rose's. There was no way for either of them to contain the giant smiles on their faces.

Ron grumbled something else and wandered off to find his wife, shaking his head.

"Something tells me," Rose said softly, "that seventh year is going to be the best year ever."

"Well yeah," Scorpius replied, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, "you get to snog the Head Boy whenever you want. You'll never get in trouble for being out past curfew."

Rose grinned. "Of course I wouldn't. Nobody is going to give the Head Girl detention for being out late, _especially_ if she's with the Head Boy."

Scorpius could have jumped for joy at that point, silly as it may have seemed.

"You're right," he agreed, "seventh year will be the best ever."

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**Ta-da! Hope you liked! I am working on the last chapter of _SOV_, for those of you waiting on that, I just keep getting stuck.**

**Review! Much love!**


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